Clues a cosmetic edit can accidentally erase
- Photographer and studio names printed on a mount
- Handwritten names, dates, addresses, and relationships on the back
- Uniform insignia, jewellery, badges, tools, and occupational clothing
- House numbers, signs, vehicles, furniture, and landscape details
- Mount shape, borders, paper texture, and photographic process
An archive-ready workflow
- Assign a temporary identifier before scanning so the front and back stay connected.
- Scan the complete front and back in colour, including borders and mounts.
- Record the source person, known names, estimated date, place, and every uncertainty.
- Store the untouched master as read-only and make a working duplicate.
- Restore the duplicate, then document what was cropped, colourized, reconstructed, or enhanced.
Restore for legibility without rewriting history
Contrast and damage repair can make a face, sign, or inscription easier to inspect. That does not make an uncertain identification certain. Keep notes such as probably, possibly, and identified by alongside the file.
When a letter or medal is unreadable, do not ask a generative model to complete it and then record the generated result as fact. Compare other family photographs, documents, maps, and dated examples.
A simple filename pattern
- Use an estimated date first so files sort chronologically
- Add surname or family group, place, and a stable sequence number
- Use circa or unknown rather than making a precise date look certain
- Add front, back, master, restored, or colorized as a final version label
- Keep the same identifier in a spreadsheet or family-tree note
FAQs
Should I restore a genealogy photo before identifying it?
Create a clear derivative if it helps you inspect faces or text, but preserve and review the untouched front-and-back scans first because edits can hide or alter clues.
How should I name family history photo files?
Use a stable pattern such as estimated-date_family-place_sequence, and keep uncertain information marked as uncertain rather than presenting a guess as fact.
Can I colorize a photo used for genealogy?
Yes, as a clearly labelled interpretation. Keep the black-and-white master and do not treat inferred colours as historical evidence.
Sources
Preservation and technical guidance reviewed for this article.
- U.S. National Archives: Digitizing Family Papers and Photographs
- U.S. National Archives: Photographs: handling, enclosures, and damaged photographs
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